Matthew McConaughey was considered for Pedro Pascal’s role in The Last of Us

24 June 2023 , 20:20

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Matthew was considered for the role (Image: Getty Images)

Matthew McConaughey and The Last of Us creator Craig Mazin were in talks for the Dallas Buyers Club to take on the role of Joel in the HBO show.

The Last of Us is a video game that was adapted to a series, starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as Joel and Ellie as they try to survive through a zombie apocalypse after they're tasked with a dangerous mission.

Pedro, who has also starred in The Mandalorian and Narcos, was praised for his incredible performance by fans after the show recieved critical acclaim.

However, Pedro wasn't always destined to play the part of Joel.

Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused, Craig revealed that he "spoke" to Oscar winner Matthew about the role as he had considered giving it to him.

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Pedro Pascal alongside The Last Of Us co-star Bella Ramsey (Brentwood Gazette)

"I did talk to Matthew,” Craig recalled. “I can’t say that it was a series [of conversations]. It was more of like, ‘Hey! Here’s something to talk about.'”

But he reassured fans that Pedro was "on the list from the start," despite being told that he was "unavailable."

“Pedro was on our list from the start. We were told that he was unavailable,” Craig explained. “And then as we were floundering about a little bit, I got a call from his agent who said, ‘You know, he actually might be available.'”

Craig also addressed rumours that Moonlight star Mahershala Ali was considered for the lead role in the show, but ultimately shut them down, telling listeners: "I actually never talked to Mahershala.”

The revelation from Craig about the character of Joel comes after Pedro admitted that he was nervous about taking on the role.

“It became very, very clear very quickly how much people loved the game and the experience of playing the game,” he told Entertainment Tonight in January.

“That was scary because you can get really into a book. You can get really into a series. and this is the next level of getting into an immersive experience of playing these characters," he added.

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Lauren Gordon